To: The Road Safety Team
Hampshire County Council

Dated: Sunday 15th October 2006

Dear Sirs,

The Widening of our lanes is dangerous and is damaging the rural character of Baughurst.

I have been asked to write to you by Residents of Baughurst, we are extremely concerned that you have once again widened Baughurst Road without any local consultation. Despite your previous and recent commitments not to replace eroded roadside verges with tarmac, this continues to happen. The continuance of this inconsiderate work method has again increased the road width of this country lane by stealth. This process is encouraging vehicles to travel at faster speeds. Such actions are dangerous and will cause people to be injured and of course it is damaging the rural character of Baughurst.

The Baughurst Society and local residents expressed concern to HCC Highways in 2002 about their worry regarding road widening by stealth. HCC Officers acknowledged our concerns and prior to the works commencing gave residents a commitment that the road (Baughurst Road) would not be widened during the major maintenance programme. HCC Officers arranged extensive measuring of the road in an attempt to ensure the contractors had clear work instructions and would not widen the road or compromise verges. Despite HCC intentions the road was widened and in fact since that date further widening (by stealth) has happened.

Recently we were able to ascertain with the help of HCC local Roads Supervisor that +/- three feet has been added to the width of Baughurst Road since 2002. During the recent meeting with the HCC Officer he agreed that our concerns regarding the widening were fully justified. We were able to demonstrate to him how the road is being widened at an alarming rate.

Despite this very recent meeting, to our complete amazement and frustration, during the last few weeks, we see that once again your contractors have replaced eroded verges with tarmac. Again, you have effectively widening the road. There really seems no point in Officers working hard trying to develop traffic calming schemes with white road narrowing lines and road surface dressing etc, when you continue to widen the roads!

We would also like to remind Officers that they gave a commitment to address damaged verges following the long maintenance programme two years ago along the A340 through Tadley. Despite lots of promises and letters passing responsibility from one department to another within HCC, absolutely nothing has been done.

Also during the recent meeting with your local Roads Supervisor he suggested that our Baughurst Village Design Statement (VDS) stated that kerbs should never be used in the village. This is not correct; in fact the VDS recommend that in locations of continuous verge erosion countryside kerbs may have to be considered.

Our VDS says:

The placement of 'countryside kerbs' in places of maximum traffic damage/erosion should be encouraged. Through-route restrictions should be placed on heavy goods vehicles, and where appropriate, lower speed restrictions through the village roads should be imposed. The resulting effect should be to encourage through-route traffic, especially large vehicles to use the three main road routes mentioned (B3051, A339 and A340).

Road and direction signs should respect the rural character by keeping their number and size to a minimum.

Traffic calming should be encouraged, but aim to be sympathetic to the roadside character and not require heavy signing. Gateways, build-outs and narrowings, together with grass natural verges and banks that blend in are preferred, but humps with their concomitant noise nuisance and urbanisation characteristics should be avoided.

Please find attached a number of photographs (4 pages) which try to identify our concerns.

We do hope that you will take our concerns seriously and respond to us with an action plan to rectify the current situation and the adoption of a longer term strategy. We believe you should consider removing the tarmac recently laid at the bend near Hillside Farm and near to Hillside Close and then carryout appropriate repairs and protection methods to the verge. We would also like to receive from you a much longer term plan as to how you can prevent the widening of our rural road by continued stealth.

We are sending a copy of this letter to other interested organisations and authorities seeking there help and support.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Graham Round

c.c.
Basingstoke & Deane Traffic Management
The Baughurst Society
Baughurst Parish Council
Sir George Young MP
CPRE Hampshire